It is March 2077.
This month brings highs of 8°C with lows of 3°C. Sun sets at 5pm while it rises at 7am. Snowfall is no more than light sprinklings as the gales continue.

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Rating

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Plot

With the muggleborns in charge, nothing has really changed since the Battle of Hogwarts. The sides have been switched with those bearing old family names being discriminated against. Once again the revolution is upon us. What side will go to the darkest places to get what they want? Will it be yours?

Having been on a high all day Maz wasn't too concerned when the note requesting her presence in her Head of House's Office was given to her by a fellow Hufflepuff. She'd been expecting something throughout the day, wondering what class she'd be getting out of. It didn't even irk that she was denied a bit of skiving off time since at least she didn't have to cut her dinner short.

After what had happened just that morning, what she'd made happen Maz knew a professor or even the Headmaster would be wanting a word with her. There would be questions, possibly an accusation or two. For while her tracks were well and truly covered and nothing linked to any of it it was rightly believed throughout the castle that Maz was in some way responsible. While she wouldn't confess to a soul the Hufflepuff did quite like that people believed her capable of pulling it off. It showed a confidence that others had in her, a boost to her own in turn.

She watched Professor Hart as he left the hall trying to see if he was angry but the man was quite unreadable. His face straight he didn't even look her way as she suspected most other professor's would. So far Maz hadn't had dealings with the man except the odd admonishment in the corridors or at meals. She'd never spent any length of time in his company so still, after he'd been in the castle a while he was completely unknown to her.

Leaving the hall after finishing a big dinner Maz made her way up the stairs to the corridor that held her Head of House's office. She swung her bag lazily as she walked along, holding it at length so it just missed being stopped by the floor. Reaching the door she stopped, slung one of the bags straps over one shoulder and then knocked loudly on the door.

Maz took a step back as she waited having no desire to be right in the Professor's face if he choose to open the door instead of just calling her in.

Professor Hart sat up in his seat at the sound of a knock on his door and consciously wiped the smile off of his face. It had been an interesting day in Hogwarts and he was looking forward to speaking to the girl that had made it all possible. The Headmaster had been in his office during every single one of his free periods ranting about what the Cowan girl had done, and Declan hadn’t even tried to restrain himself from laughing at his old friend.

The fact that the teenage girl had managed to throw such a huge monkey wrench into the Headmaster’s plans was funny enough. However, the fact that she’d managed to do so without leaving enough evidence behind to trace it back to her was truly priceless. In fact, the only reason that they were sure it was her was because it would have been far, far too much of a coincidence to have been anyone else; and when that was combined with the smug way she’d been strutting around through the day there wasn’t really any other conclusion to be drawn.

With a sharp flick of his wand the door to the room swung slowly open and he called out sternly, “Do come in Miss Cowan. It seems we have much to discuss.”

As she entered the room he motioned her toward the seat directly across the desk from him.

“Shut the door behind you if you please.”

“This is a conversation that I don’t believe either one of us would like to have interrupted,” he finished with a scowl at his student.

Maz entered when told and closed the door behind her. The Professor's stern tone didn't bother her in the slightest. She took the offered seat as she swung her bag from her shoulder and sat it on the floor by her feet. Her legs she crossed and clasped her hands resting on her knee.

"Am no aw that bothered masel like." A slight smirk met the scowl. Intimidating looks bothered her as much as a stern voice. Maybe if she'd felt any guilt about what had transpired that morning she would have. As it was she held the firm belief that the only guilt stood with the three responsible and the idiots who were stupid enough to be easily found out. Maz had simply done what she had to do.

Sitting primly she raised her eyebrows expectantly as she waited for the Professor to speak. When he didn't immediatley she took it upon herself to look around the room. Nothing special she quickly decided and turned back to her Head of House.

Although she knew from the many muggle police shows she watched on TV that silence was her friend Maz never could abide it. Silence was fine when she was alone and left to her thoughts but with someone else it mostly felt weird.

"Yi did want tae actually speak tae me, din't yi, Sir?" She asked, an expectant look as she once again awaited his words.

Professor Hart watched as she crossed the room and took the seat he’d motioned her toward. Her opening words didn’t surprise them as much as they might have at the beginning of the year. While he hadn’t had very many encounters with the Cowan girl, her reputation was seemingly fairly well earned. The silence continued from that point, less because he was trying to make her uncomfortable and more because he wasn’t too sure what to say at the moment.

While he knew what the Headmaster wanted him to say, Declan knew himself well enough to know that he wasn’t going to be able to say it. As he considered just what he wanted to do with the current situation, she spoke again and a small grin flashed across his face before it disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. With a nod he said, “Yes, I felt that it was probably a good idea for us to speak after everything that had happened.”

“Let’s start with, how are you feeling? From what I’ve seen and heard you have healed up nicely – has there been any residual aches or pains?”

Maz had to wonder what one part of the "everything" would be focused on the most. Though she knew she could take a damn good guess. Of course she was going to be suspected in the morning's events but with no way to physically link her to any of it she was - to excuse the pun - getting off Scot free.

She stared at the Professor after his question was asked. Her brow cocked as if she was wondering if he really had just asked what he did. She was quick to remind herself of a simple fact she'd known since the age of six. Werewolf attacks were so rare and the survivors rarer that little was known of what happened to the victims later. Especially if the victim hadn't been biten. Even the staff at St Mungo's were at a loss sometimes citing that no two cases were ever the same. It wasn't his fault there was so little knowledge to go on.

"There's always been residual aches an' pains... itchin' anaw. Other stuff tae no restricted tae the scared area. Worse when the full moons oan the approach." She answered him though she knew full well that was not a full answer to his question.

So she continued. "An' aye, it's been wurse since they bams landed me in the hospital wing. Am booked intae St Mungo's fur an overnight in the summer." She did not look too pleased with that and she wasn't. A night in the hospital was one of the worst things she could think of, especially a magical hospital.

"Nurse Gellar's been makin' me check in weekly an' she's taken samples fur the healers at St Mungo's." For the most part Maz didn't sound too concerned with her woes and she certainly did not want sympathy but the Professor had asked. "Naeb'dy kin figure oot why ah hid the reactions ah did tae the spells an' potions but ah 'hink it's a lot tae dae way the fact that in a way werewolves self-heal wance a month."

Professor Hart listened as she went over the pains she was dealing with at the moment and waited until she got to the part about any damage inflicted by the attackers. When it became clear that Maz Cowan was someone he was going to have to keep an eye on, he’d read through her file and was aware of the attack she’d suffered before. Unfortunately, there was little to no information about the effects she was dealing with due to that assault. Not that it really mattered too much right now; right now he was more interested in making sure that all of the people that had dared to lay a hand on his student were dealt with appropriately.

Fortunately, it seemed that Maz had done a great deal to make sure that was the case.

“I’m glad that you have arranged a visit to St. Mungo’s already. It’s easier to ignore an injury that isn’t debilitating and hope for the best than it is to make sure that everything is alright.”

His voice was steady and matter-of-fact. He didn’t appreciate that his student had been harmed but she had taken care of herself and reacted quickly and efficiently against the people that had harmed her. She didn’t need his pity or even really his concern and so he didn’t offer it. Her reaction to the werewolf attack, however, intrigued him though it wasn’t the time to poke and prod about that.

“I’m sure that if someone ever does figure it out they’ll be quite famous.”

“That said,” he continued, “I’m sure you’re very well aware of why I’ve called you here today. The families of the students that assaulted you have all met with quite a bit of personal disaster. It’s causing a bit of a fuss for the Headmaster as he had come to rely on the Minister’s influence to help support his efforts here.”

“I tried my best to explain to him that sometimes you just can’t ignore karma, but he wanted me to check with you again and make sure that you don’t have anything to add that could alleviate his curiosity as to just how this all happened.”

Maz shrugged at his words. Of course she believed them or she would never have gone to the hospital and then the school nurse time and again, over and over. While she fully accepted that she was stuck with the scars her whole life she would never give up hope for relief from the pains of them.

She smiled at his wording. A personal disaster, she quite liked that. Would be a great phrase to describe all of Jen's love life. Maz almost laughed then at the thought but sobered enough to just smile a little more. She was totally using that on Jen now, it was too good not to.

At his mention of karma the young Hufflepuff shook her head. Karma was something she had never believed in. The world was too chaotic for any kind of balancing out, any cosmic kind of order. Karma was just a story told to make people feel a little better about the world.

"Ah've no goat a clue how it happened, Sir." The lie came easy as did the look of innocence. While Maz didn't often lie she could do it. She could stare someone right in the eye and speak complete falsehoods. She'd learned young to do it whenever the how did you know question would come up outside of the family circle.

"Kin ah ask a question, Sir?" She didn't actually bother with waiting. She would get her query out and he could answer if he wanted... or not. "Why is it that you, the Headmaster an' a great many others seem tae 'hink a sixteen year auld stuck in a school could huv any'hin' eh dae way it?"

Smiling again she added. "No that am no flattered like. It's a pure compliment that so many 'hink am capable eh huvin' even a wee haun in such a 'hing."

“Of course not,” he replied with a nod. There was nothing on her face to show that she was lying, but there was also no question in his mind that she was. Not that it mattered; as far as he was concerned, the kids and their families got what was coming to them. The only thing that would have been better would have been if the Ministry had a reliable mechanism for trying kids as adults – two of the three had lucked out and managed to pull this crap before their birthdays.

“It’s an extremely impressive coincidence, I wish that the universe was as keen to stand up for me as it appears to be for you.”

When she asked if she could ask him a question he motioned for her to go ahead. Though, it wasn’t necessary as he continued right on. With a grin, he answered, “With the Headmaster I think he’s looking for an outlet for his frustration. As for me, I just have a deep appreciation for justice.”

“As for you being locked in this school, true as that may be, I don’t think anyone believes you personally did everything that would have been required for this outcome. But a few letters to the right people would have done the trick.”

Again, with a nod, he replied, “It is a compliment. Whoever did this left no trail and they’re to be commended for the efficiency of their actions. It’s probably for the best, however, that whoever did this keep their heads down. There are rather a lot of angry politicians out there right now.”

“I’ve been dealing with them for a long time, and I’m always amazed at the level of petty vindictiveness that they’re able to skink to.”

The girl couldn't help it she laughed, a good hearty sounding noise. "Yi 'hink the universe stands up fur me?" She chuckled some more. "Aw aye cause it's the three weedy teenagers ah cannae take care eh masel... the werewolf whit slashed me up that whiz a breeze like." It was a funny notion that the universe looked out for anyone nevermind Maz, and it was had a funny way of picking it's battles in Maz's opinion.

"A few letters that wid be easily traced right back tae me." Maz stated. Of course she hadn't sent letters, she'd turned out to be better at planning than she'd suspected she would be. There were of course the close call, the times she'd thought of just lamping the three and having it done with. She'd done it though in the end, she'd stuck it out.

At the compliment to her work from the teacher Maz kept a blank face. Even knowing she'd covered all her tracks it was good to have it verified.

Her eyes narrowed when the talk turned to angry politicians. "If you an' the Headmaster 'hink it wiz me how many eh them ur eh a likewise mind?" She had thought the cover of school would be enough with them but maybe the Headmaster had aired his suspicions. Not that she was worried, not in the slightest, she'd just like some idea of what she may come up against. For the professor's sake she appeared worried, though not overly so.

An amused grin crossed Professor Hart’s face as he shrugged and replied, “In my experience no – the Universe doesn’t stand up for anyone which is why we need to look out for ourselves and each other. However, if what happened two the people who assaulted you and their families wasn’t a universal, karmic accident then it would have been a coincidence of unbelievable proportions for you not to have been involved in it in some way.”

“One family going down might have been coincidence and unconnected to you. Two would have been less believable but still possible. All three? That’s either karma or some very impressive work on your behalf. Since I choose to believe it was karma, I suppose that I don’t have any more digging into your potential connections to this event.”

There wasn’t anything to be gained by doing so anyway. The people involved had gotten what they’d deserved and even if he got her to admit that she’d done it there wasn’t any way to undo what had already happened. The Headmaster was just going to have to deal with things as they were and continue to move his plans forward as best he could – just as he’d been doing for years.

The concern on Maz’s face at the mention of the toes she’d stepped on was pretty obvious. With another shrug he replied, “I would bet that there are a few who suspect for blame you for what happened. Though, I wouldn’t go worrying about it too much right now. As much as he might be frustrated, the Headmaster wouldn’t let anything happen to you here and from what I hear you’re pretty good friends with Morrigan’s heir.”

“Richard Morrigan is a solid ally to have, and I can’t see too many people being willing to move against his friends. You’re actually in a surprisingly safe place – consequence wise – though you might want to be careful doing too much of this stuff. If you make yourself a real pain some people might start thinking the work to get to you might just be worth it.”

Since what he was saying was true and Maz was happy for him not to investigate any further she felt it time to let that bit of the conversation lie. Well for the most part, "See, the 'hing is, Sir. This isnae whit ah'd of wanted given a say in the matter. Ah like tae hit people, love it really and since ah've kindae goat a code ah need a reason tae hit. They three twits gave me perfect reasons but noo ah've no goat a hope in hell eh gittin mah hauns oan thum." The girl seemed sincere enough because she actually was. She felt, given the circumstances, she had missed out. Been deprived of what she saw as her right, a right to physical revenge. A revenge that would have left trails of blood in her wake and some broken bones. It was quite unfair that it had gone so far beyond just a beating in retaliation. It had been ages since she'd been in a good fight.

Again she really should have stayed silent, let the moment wither away without a word but she was Maz and sometimes her mouth seemed to have a mind of it's own. With a mischievous grin the girl replied. "But Sir, ah wiz born tae be a real pain. It's mah callin'."

"So when schools dun then..." The sentence was left hanging as she thought about it herself. When she left school she'd be on her own, just what she'd always wanted. Did it matter if people might have the hump with her?

Diz it fuck! she answered herself quickly. Great confidence was put in her own ability to look after herself. Afterall she'd been doing it for years already given what a substandard caregiver her aunt was. She'd even had to look after Jen too.

"Might be ah'll git intae politics... piss them aw aff." The smile on her face was positively wicked now. A chance to ruffle some feathers of old farts and beige cardigans! People she'd often wondered about. Wondered if they set out to deliberately harm creatures and make a mess of the world she lived in. Making their lives just that little bit harder... or even a lot more difficult. It was a very tempting future, very tempting indeed.

“I can understand that,” he agreed with a nod, “I always prefer an enemy that I can physically confront as well. However, this time, if you had been the one to have seen this through, I’d say you’d done the right thing. Physically confronting them wouldn’t have left you so clearly in the right and might have made it possible for people to even infer that you’d taken things too far and weren’t any better than they were.”

“Trust me, once the law gets involved everything becomes stickier. You’re better off with this ending the way it did.”

A spark of laughter blossomed in his eyes, though Professor Hart kept himself tightly reigned in. For a moment he simply regarded his student and then nodded and replied dryly, “Believe me, this is something that I’ve noticed.”

“You might want to try to develop some other skills too before getting out of here,” he finished completely straight-faced.

She quickly picked up what it was that he’d been saying and he was pretty pleased with that. It wasn’t as though he’d been particularly subtle about it, but it was always nice not to have to spell things out for the kids. There were too many of them that really needed their hands held. She didn’t ask any questions and he didn’t really have anything else to add so the conversation continued on. When she mentioned that she might go into politics he couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“That’ll go over well I’m sure. Though, there are a lot of staid old men out there that could stand to be shaken up a bit. Put together a good platform – other than, “I’ll piss them all off,” – and I’ll vote for you.”

“If you don’t have anything else to add for the Headmaster’s dilemma, I’ll let you get back to your friends. Do be careful Miss Cowan.”